


enough

by HyperchaoticStarlight (MVPYurio)



Series: i'll be around for you [6]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, BAMF Peter Parker, Bucky Barnes Needs a Hug, Everyone Is Alive, Everyone Is Gay, M/M, Peter Parker is a Little Shit, Precious Peter Parker, Science Boyfriends, Science Bros, Scienceshipping, Tony Stark Acting as Peter Parker's Parental Figure, Tony Stark Has A Heart
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-27
Updated: 2018-07-27
Packaged: 2019-06-17 04:26:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,725
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15453303
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MVPYurio/pseuds/HyperchaoticStarlight
Summary: Someday, maybe, once in his life, Peter would have a normal day.Today was, apparently, not that day.In which Peter does something Tony told him never to do, but for a good reason.





	enough

**Author's Note:**

> Huge thank you to WiseGirlWinchester (tacky-sock on Tumblr) for posting this for me. My computer is broken but the show must go on! Also, hey look, characters that aren't Tony and Bruce. –Lia

Someday, maybe, once in his life, Peter would have a normal day.

Today was, apparently, not that day.

It  _ had  _ been normal, for most of it—go to school, do school things, leave school, put on the suit and be Spider-Man—and then a guy ran right in front of him looking more  _ batshit terrified _ than any person Peter had ever seen in his life.

“Hey there!” Peter jumped down from the building he’d been standing on and faced the guy. “You alright?” The guy pushed by him and kept running. “Hey!”

Peter looked around to see what the guy might be running from, and then he saw it—a group of three guys who looked pretty damn menacing.

Just another day.

“Hey, who’re you?” he asked, dropping in front of them. “And why are you chasing after that guy?”

“It’s not any of your business,” said one of the guys, the guy on the left. He had an accent, but Peter couldn’t place it. “Now get out of our way.”

“I dunno, man,” said Peter. “You’re chasing some terrified dude through my neighborhood. It kinda feels like my business.”

“It’s not. Move out of our way.”

“Not until you tell me what you’re doing.”

“We just need to have a chat with that man,” said the one in the middle.

“Huh,” said Peter. He turned around to face the man who had been running. “Hey, buddy, did you want to talk with these guys?”

_ “No,”  _ he replied emphatically.

“Looks like you’re out of luck then, folks,” said Peter. “Have a nice day!”

The group scowled and began walking away. Peter turned around again to face their target. “You alright?”

“They’re not gonna let you off that easy,” the guy replied. “Look out!”

Peter whirled around to see that they were running towards him. “Fellas!” he said brightly. “I thought we agreed that you were gonna leave this dude alone!”

“We agreed to no such thing,” the guy on the left snarled.

“Oops,” Peter shrugged. “My bad.”

The guy in the middle looked to the two on his sides. “Get him.”

“Yeah, I figured,” Peter sighed. “I guess we’re fighting then—yikes!” He dodged as one of the guys made a grab for his neck.

~~~~

_ Dang, these guys are good,  _ Peter thought bitterly, about ten minutes in.  _ And it’s two against one. _

A sudden shout from behind made him turn around. Crap. The other guys had clearly just been a distraction so that the guy in the middle could get to their target, who was now plugging his ears—and that’s when Peter had an idea. He jumped up to dodge the two incoming henchmen, ricocheted off of a building, and shot the other guy in the mouth, his webbing serving as a decent enough gag. He tried to pull it off, and that’s when Peter saw the tattoo on his wrist.

“What are these guys, Death Eaters?” he muttered. It really did look like a weird red version of the Dark Mark, a skull surrounded by  _ oh shit oh shit oh shit. _

“Emergency protocols, J!” Peter shouted, dodging two gunshots. “Mr. Stark told me never to fight these guys!”

“Activating emergency protocols,” JARVIS replied. A little loading symbol appeared in Peter’s visor, and then it turned red. “Emergency protocols have been blocked.”

“What?!”

“It would appear that another protocol is blocking the dispatch feature of the emergency protocols, that only Mr. Stark can override. I am unable to contact any of the on-call suits. Until we can contact him directly, you’re on your own.”

“Great,” Peter muttered. “Okay, new background process. Call Tony Stark and repeat until he picks up.” A small telephone icon appeared in the corner of Peter’s visor. “Thanks, J. Back to business, then!”

~~~~

“Tony. Tony. Wake up.”

“What?” Tony rubbed his eyes and sat up in bed. “What’s up?”

Bruce held up Tony’s cell phone. “It’s been going off non-stop for the last ten minutes.”

Just then, it rang again and displayed a dumb selfie of Tony and Peter from a few weeks prior. “Kid, I was taking a nap. What’s going on?”

_ “Oops. Sorry. It’s just that… those guys you told me never to ever fight ever or else you’d kick my ass? The ones with the logo that looks like the Dark Mark from Harry Potter? I kinda just saved a guy from them.” _

Tony could have sworn that in that moment, his arc reactor failed and the shrapnel careened into his heart.

_ “He was running from these three guys and he was super scared and so I was like, okay, I’ll hold them off, that’s kinda my job, and I was already fighting them when I saw one of them had that thing tattooed on his wrist. So then I tried to activate the emergency protocols but they were blocked for some reason and so I had JARVIS keep calling you over and over again. There’s three of the guys and I have them tied up, but the webbing isn’t gonna hold forever—Mr. Stark? Are you there?” _

“Yeah. Yeah, I’m here. Just—Jesus Christ, kid.” Tony rubbed his fingers into his forehead. “I told you if you  _ ever  _ saw anyone with that logo, you  _ run away  _ as fast as you possibly can.”

_ “You can yell at me later, okay? I tied them up and knocked the one who looked like the leader out by hitting him over the head with a brick and I’m gonna hit the other two next, but this guy they were chasing is totally freaking out and keeps saying something about Captain America and can you please just tell me who I’m supposed to call to come collect these guys?” _

“Me. You call me. I’m on my way. JARVIS?”

“Sir, I have been blocked from sending you his location.”

“What the—oh,  _ crap.  _ JARVIS, override the Hands Off My Shit protocol.”

“The what now?” Bruce asked. “Tony, what’s going on?”

“Peter just fought three HYDRA agents, and JARVIS couldn’t use the emergency protocols because of a protocol I put in to make sure that HYDRA doesn’t touch any Stark tech. God, I’m an idiot.”

“You can self-hate later,” said Bruce. “You have a kid to go help. Want me to come with you?”

“No. I need you to contact Nat and Barton and get them to me and Peter as fast as you can.” Tony grabbed his bracers off of the nightstand. “JARVIS, open the skylight.”

~~~~

Tony had it all planned out. He would land, deal with the HYDRA goons, and then he knew exactly what he was going to say to Peter. Land, deal with HYDRA goons, tell off the stupid kid. Land, deal with HYDRA goons, tell off the stupid kid. Land, deal with HYDRA goons, tell off the stupid kid.

And then he landed, and Peter ran towards him, and he forgot about steps two and three.

“That was the scariest thing I’ve ever done,” Peter mumbled into Tony’s chest as Tony hugged him tight. “Especially when the emergency protocols didn’t work.”

“That was my fault,” Tony admitted. “I’ve been paranoid for years that HYDRA would get their hands on my stuff.”

“I’m really sorry I kept fighting them.”

Oh, right, he was supposed to lecture Peter about how reckless and dangerous—fuck it.

“It’s alright. Just don’t ever do it again. Ever.”

“Trust me, I won’t.”

Tony nodded and let go, starting to move away. “Good. Bruce is working on getting Nat and Barton over here to deal with these idiots. We can leave them alone for now. It’s the guy they were chasing that I’m interested in.”

“He kept saying something about Captain America,” said Peter. “And he really didn’t want those guys talking to him.”

“I think I know who this guy is,” Tony said quietly. “Show me.”

Peter led Tony over to where the guy was still crouching down, shaking.

“Hey,” Peter said quietly, kneeling down. “We’re gonna have some really cool people take those guys far away where they can’t bother you, okay?

The man nodded, and then saw Tony. “Stark,” he muttered. “Listen, I don’t want a fight, okay? I know you probably hate me—”

“I don’t want a fight either, Sergeant,” Tony replied. “Once these assholes have been dealt with, we’ll get you out of here.” He turned to Peter. “Keep watch for a minute, alright? I gotta make a call real quick.”

“You got it,” said Peter.

Just then, two motorcycles pulled in, Natasha on one and Clint on the other.

“Holy shit,” said Natasha as she jumped off of her motorcycle. “Is that Barnes?”

“Can’t be,” said Clint. “Stark would’ve killed him already if it was.”

“Not funny, Clint,” Natasha reprimanded.

Tony walked back over to the group, sticking his phone in his pocket. “Nat, Barton, get someone to take out the trash. I’m taking Sergeant Barnes here to the Tower.” Peter shot a hopeful look at Tony. “Yeah, okay, you can come too. For a little while.”

~~~~

It wasn’t until Bucky was sound asleep on a couch in Avengers Tower and Peter had gone home that Steve asked what had been on his mind all afternoon.

“Why did you bring him here? Y’know… alive? Without the crap kicked out of him?”

Tony looked up from his tablet. “D’you want bullshit, or the truth?”

“The truth. Obviously.”

“Had I found him myself, I would’ve probably kicked his ass,” Tony admitted. “I’m a surprisingly better person when Peter’s around.”

“That’s the kid, yeah?”

“Yeah. Good kid.” Tony smiled softly. “I discovered him just after… well, just after we last saw Barnes, actually. He had potential, so I figured I’d help him out.”

He paused for a moment, and then continued. “Last spring, I caught Peter doing something really stupid and dangerous, and I was gonna get mad, because he knew better. And then I realized, he didn’t think he had any other choice.”

Tony looked over at Bucky, still dead to the world. “He didn’t have a choice,” he said quietly. “He did some heinous shit, but he didn’t have a choice. And when Peter found him, he was literally being chased by HYDRA. I couldn’t exactly kick his ass without feeling like a total dick.”

“Fair enough,” said Steve. “God, I’m worried. We caught those three agents, but I don’t think they’re ever going to leave Bucky alone. He has to go on the run again.”

“No, he doesn’t,” said Tony. “I own abuse shelters, remember? Best place to get away from assholes in the entire city. I’ve got one pretty close to here that has a bunch of open apartments.”

“You really want to risk HYDRA going after one of your shelters?” Steve asked.

“Oh, they won’t be able to find him,” said Tony. “I have JARVIS running through the entire shelter network, and he has a protocol that keeps HYDRA agents away from my shit. All I have to do is give Barnes one piece of Stark tech, and he’ll disappear like a protected witness. Hell, if I’m smart about what I give him, JARVIS will keep him safe even if he’s not in the building.”

“You sound confident.”

“I modified S.H.I.E.L.D.’s stealth protocols. Of course I’m confident.”

“How did you—nope, I don’t want to know.”

“According to Bruce, it was a dick move,” said Tony. “Listen, Cap, I’m happy to let Barnes live in one of the apartments, but you have to promise me that you won’t let him into the Tower after he leaves today. I can’t have him knowing anything about how my shit works, not until we know for a fact that HYDRA’s given up on him. It’s just too much of a risk. I’m sorry—”

“It’s okay,” said Steve. “It’s more than okay. Christ, Tony, that’s more than I ever could have hoped for.” He looked over at Bucky and gave a soft smile. “Seventy-something years… I never thought I’d see the day that I’d know he was safe.”

“He will be,” Tony promised. “As long as you stop making googly eyes at him; it’s disgusting.”

Steve turned red instantly. “What are you talking about?”

Tony rolled his eyes. “I may be emotionally stunted, but I know what a lovesick puppy looks like.” Steve scoffed, but Tony continued over him. “And there’s also the teeny-tiny, totally insignificant detail, that he pulled you into a closet after we arrived at the Tower.”

“Well, you can talk,” Steve said defensively.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Tony said flatly.

“C’mon, Tony, it’s obvious. You have a thing for Banner.”

Tony looked over to the other side of the room, where Bruce was talking with Natasha. “I wish it were that simple.”

“What do you mean?”

He turned back to Steve. “I wish it were that simple. I wish I just had a thing for him. If I had a thing for him, we could hook up a few times and it’d be fine, I’d be fine. But it’s not like that. I don’t… it wouldn’t be enough. I want more than that. I want—”

“Sounds to me like you’re in love with the guy,” Steve said casually. Tony rolled his eyes. “Not that I would know anything about that. It’s not like I’m a  _ lovesick puppy _ or anything.” He locked eyes with Tony as he meandered over to the couch, lifted up Bucky’s head and neck, sat down, and laid Bucky back down so his head was in Steve’s lap. “Clearly, I know nothing about love.”

Tony looked back over at Bruce, now laughing. “Okay, fine. Maybe.” Steve raised an eyebrow. “Does it matter? It’s not like—” He paused, and something changed, the look in his eyes perhaps, seeming distant, detached. “It’s highly unlikely that something like that could be reciprocated.”

Steve shrugged. “You know him better than I do. Better than any of us, really.”

Again, the look in Tony’s eyes shifted, but Steve had no idea what to. “What about Nat?”

“What about her? She’d be the first to say that you know him far better than she does.”

Tony gave a small smile, and Steve was quite overcome with the sensation of having passed a test.

“Y’know,” he said slowly, “you shouldn’t underestimate your chances. I never thought I’d have a chance with Bucky, and look at us now.” His hand drifted down and started absentmindedly playing with Bucky’s hair. “Then again, being gay in the 1940s… not exactly easy.”

“I can’t imagine,” said Tony. His eyes drifted to Steve’s hand. “Alright, listen. It’s getting late, and it’s been a day, so if Barnes wants to stay with you in the Tower tonight, I’m okay with it—but you have to promise me you’ll move him out first thing tomorrow.”

“Tony, are you sure? You’ve already done more than enough—”

Tony nodded. “Yeah. Yeah, I’m sure.”

Steve gazed down at Bucky, still playing with his hair, and smiled. He looked back up at Tony. “Thank you, Tony,” he said quietly. “You’re a good man.”

Just then, Bruce came into the room and stood behind Tony, such that Tony had to crane his neck to look at him. “What’s up?”

“I’m heading home,” said Bruce. “Wanna come with?”

Tony hesitated, and then blinked as he felt gentle pressure on his shoulders. “What’re you doing?”

“You put on your newer prototype suit by accident,” said Bruce. “The one you said hurt your shoulders.” He gave Tony’s shoulders a squeeze before continuing to lightly massage them. “I saw another pair of bracers on the kitchen table, and that’s when I remembered you put the prototype set on your nightstand.” He paused for a moment. “D’you want me to stop?”

Tony looked back up at him and grinned. “Yes, but only so we can get home and you can start again. I still have to fly home, in that prototype suit, which’ll make my shoulders hurt more…”

Bruce snorted. “Yeah, okay. Tell you what, I’ll give you a shoulder rub  _ and  _ make dinner tonight, but you’re on solo dish duty. Sound good?”

“Oh,  _ hell  _ yes,” Tony replied emphatically. “Alright, Cap, I’ll be in touch tomorrow to help you move Barnes into his new place.”

Steve nodded. “Thanks again for everything.”

Tony snapped a playful salute. “No problem.”

* * *

 

**Author's Note:**

> This series is brought to you by Lia (she/her, HyperchaoticStarlight) and James (they/them, TheMagicMicrobus). We try to update about every 2 weeks. However, we are both students (Lia is in college; James is in high school), and so we cannot promise perfection.
> 
> Find Lia on Tumblr @ hyperchaoticstarlight, marvel-at-these-gays, scienceshipping, and tinytonys.  
> Find James on Tumblr @ themagicmicrobus and morethanhumantogether.
> 
> If you have ideas for this series, please feel free to reach out to one of us and we will consider putting it in!


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